csbs

Welcome to the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

A message to the Class of 2020 from Dean Yan Searcy and the Faculty and Staff in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Dean's Welcome

I write this greeting at the end of the Academic Year during a time which is usually celebratory.

Students look forward to commencement ceremonies, receiving honors and scholarships, accepting job offers, completing exams and projects, and looking forward to a summer of rest and rejuvenation. Unfortunately, our globe has been impacted by the microscopic novel corona virus 19 that has magnified our physical vulnerability. Following the directives of the Center for Disease Control and local Departments of Public Health the State moved to limit public gatherings and issued stay-at-home orders.

As CSUN was entering Spring Break the decision was made to move our instruction away from in-person to virtual/online. Students, Staff, and Faculty made the switch deftly and with the understanding that it was for the greater good. It would be a short term sacrifice leading to long term benefits. At CSUN and the College we have prided ourselves on teaching and student engagement. Our classrooms, where students learn from each other and their instructors, are our sacred spaces. But as the CSBS tagline indicates Locally Engaged, Globally Prepared we also are present across Greater Los Angeles and the world. We had to make painful decisions to postpone travel. CSUN's touch went from being in person to virtual.

I want to stress, however, that while the touch is no longer in person, it remains personal. I remain delighted to welcome you to CSBS. Faculty continue to be available and accessible to students. Our offices remain open, albeit virtually. We remain phone calls away. We are still available to answer questions, listen, and provide direction.

The Department of Africana Studies at California State University, Northridge, stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, and demand that action be taken, so our community and city can work to dismantle the structures of racism that have threatened Black lives and wellbeing since this nation was first established. We condemn police brutality and the insidious murders of Black men and women. There are many police who operate as the enforcement wing of the system of white supremacy, a system that we must work to dismantle every day. We condemn racism and oppression in all its manifestations, including homophobia and transphobia. The terrorism of white supremacy and white privilege continues to compromise the health and safety of Black Americans and African people across the globe. The systematic assault on Black lives in America and in the world is an injustice that will not be tolerated and must be rooted out from the psyche and fabric of America.